Site visits to our three grower cooperators took place during mid-season and again at the end of the growing season. They assisted with planting, cultural practices, harvest and worked with us to develop and refine the systems in this project, and to assist in educating other growers. Our grower cooperators were: Mary Jo and Laverne […]

During the 2015 and 2016 seasons, we made comparisons between low tunnels and non-tunnels to determine if the extra labor, time and expense in constructing the low tunnel system produces comparable yields, or if yields are significantly higher, making the low tunnel system profitable for growers. At the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) […]

In 2016 we established day-neutral strawberry cultivar Albion on raised beds with plastic mulch with and without low tunnels. All treatments were managed under organic certification standards. Strawberries were grown at the U of MN West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC), and the U of MN St. Paul campus (UMTC). One of our objectives […]

Day-neutral strawberry harvest at the West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris, began on July 26, 2016 for both low tunnel and non low tunnel treatments. We harvested strawberries approximately twice per week until Oct. 6. We experienced a season-ending frost on Oct. 7 with a recorded temperature of 26 degrees F inside the low […]

In the last few years, the University of Minnesota Fruit Research Group’s Strawberry Low-Tunnel Project has spurred several other strawberry projects. One of them, the Strawberry AMF Inoculation Trial Project, looks at the viability of using commercially available arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculant to improve strawberry yields. This project is being conducted by Jared Rubinstein, advised […]

We apologize that the Cold Climate Strawberry Farming ebook is not currently available to new readers on Inkling due to changes in Inkling’s business model. We are currently working on republishing Cold Climate Strawberry Farming using a different service. We’ll post progress updates on our Facebook page.

July is already here, and our day-neutral strawberry plants are looking great! We’ve seen no evidence of any leaf spot disease; our plants appear to be robust and healthy. It’s extremely important to remove flowers around the first week of July in order to have ripe fruit approximately three weeks later. By this time, plants […]

On June 20, 2016, we experienced a wind storm with wind speeds upward of 50 MPH. While the plastic cover from our low tunnel system blew off the top of the hoops, the entire system was not damaged. Thankfully, the bungee cords held the plastic close to the side of the hoops, as you can […]

Our current project continues to build on our last three years of research with organic production systems for day neutral strawberries to extend the season using plasticulture with and without low tunnels. Comparative field trials were established in 2015 on organic-certified land at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC), Morris […]

Participate in the construction of a low tunnel! Tour will also include growing techniques and tips for day-neutral strawberry cultivars in the Upper Midwest. Tour is part of our annual Horticulture Night at the West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris. Thursday, July 28, 2016; tour times at 5:15 and 7:15 pm. For more info, […]